Pros and cons re totally new school opening - help!

[mamaandmore]

Hi, along with thousands of other parents we are just deciding which state primaries to put down as our choices for our DD for next school year. The one that is closest to us and that DH is most keen on is opening in Sept 2013 and filling up from the bottom, so DD will be the first intake.

My question is - is this a good or bad thing? I am concerned that there will be no older kids, so no-one for DD to look up to and think she wants to challenge herself to be like them, and also she will also be top of the school, and I think it's quite important to know you're not always top dog, and having older years teaches you that. Having said this, there will be a lot of focus on her year to make it a success and to prove that the school is working well with its first intake. There's a lot of competition to get in, and they are recruiting fantastic teachers, and basically planning to offer very high level education to compete with the prep-schools/private schools but for free, and it is a 5 minute walk from our front door.

Any ideas gratefully received (would you mind also pls mentioning if you are a teaching professional giving advice?)

Is it a government school or a 'free school'. If it were the latter, I'd not be keen tbh.

I am in a similar situation as a school not too far away is opening a 'new' school from reception- yr 6 in the grounds of the secondary school that is very close to me. It is happening in several places in our city as we have issue with school places.

I hadn't thought ab

I have two kids that went to a brand new school September 2012 and I can honestly say it was the best thing we ever did.

The staff are enthusiastic, the head is keen to listen to parents and the parents don't seem to form cliques.

It was a bit of a leap of faith at the time but I can honestly say that we have never thought of it as a bad move.

Is it a government school or a 'free school'. If it were the latter, I'd not be keen tbh.

I am in a similar situation as a school not too far away is opening a 'new' school from reception- yr 6 in the grounds of the secondary school that is very close to me. It is happening in several places in our city as we have issue with school places.

I hadn't thought about the older children thing and would be more concerned about getting a feel for the school before it was established.

And to answer your question, I am a teacher.

Whoops!

@ yellodandelion, I'm curious - what are your views about "free schools"? The one we are considering is a "free school"

I've replied to your pm!

I went to a new school, back in... '86. After enduring year 1 at the old infant school I started at (which I hated), the new school was a total breath of fresh air. Wonderfully equipped, and brilliant keen teachers. Us 60 or so kids (the first intake) were the oldest for 5 years and we loved it and thrived. There was a very keen sense of togetherness. Senior school did come as a bit of a shock at first after being in such a new lovely school, but I soon got used to it, and was just grateful for how lovely primary had been. Go for it I say and I hope your DD will be very happy there

'planning to offer a very high level of education to compete with prep/private schools'

What exactly do they mean by that? Longer days so there can be sports every day? Subject specialist teaching across the board in Y5&6? On site theatre, recording studio, DT workshop, science labs, cookery suites? Setting, with scholarship groups that go way above and beyond the national curriculum?

I just don't see how a school on a state school's funding package could deliver all that stuff that you pay for in a prep school. Do they have a private stream of finance?

OP are you on West London? There is prep mimicking free school primary opening in 2013 near us. The ways they are going to be like a prep seem to be: lots of specialist teachers, compulsory violin lessons and blazers. TBH it sounds gimmicky to me. Peeps are mainly successful because of small class sizes (the free school will have 30 kids per class) and selective intake (obv the free school can't do that). I don't think specialist teachers are necessary in primary and actually it's more important to have one teacher who your child sees all the time and knows and trusts. Compulsory violin is a very "one size fits all" approach and blazers are expensive but irrelevant!

I will be sticking with the established locals schools run by those with a career in education rather than those with a political point to make.

Advantages - initially small school with hopefully keen and enthusiastic staff.

Disadvantages - limited extra curricular activities due to lack of older children - choirs, orchestras, sports teams that are already up and running in good established schools take time to set up and to get enough children that are interested. Not a problem so much in reception but can be an issue later on.

• no role models from older pupils
• dc's being top dog for 7 years and then having to transfer to secondary school , major shock!

A new school is always a risk - there is no way of knowing how "fantastic" it is actually going to be until it is up and running.

Not a teacher but a parent that had this decision 3 years ago.